Amusement device



Sept. 7,1926. 1,599,014

-O; BLHUNTER AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Sept 8. 1924 2 sheets-shed 1 ATTORNEYS Sept. 7,1926. 1,599,014 Q. B. HUNTER AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Sept. 8, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 &2 a a ATIORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

.OMER BENJAMINIHUNTER, or CHICKASHA, OKLAHOMA.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application filed September 8, 1924. Serial No. 736,573.

scribed having a carrier movable in a. ver-' tical plane and provided With seats for passengers, the carrier being supported so that thepassengers can mount thereon from the ground andthe carrier propelled either by the passengers thereof or can be operatively connected to any other suitable driving means. I Q

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide an amusement device of the character described in which the rotary move ment of the passenger carrier is equalized and made uniform throughout each complete rotation of the carrier...-

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompany: ing drawings, in-which- Figurel is a front view of the improved amusement device in use,

Figure-.2 is a side elevation of the device, "and Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The supporting structure of the device comprises a pair of side members indicated generally at A; and B respectively and each comprising an upright or standard 1 and a pair of oppositely inclined straight members 2 and 3 respectively. The members 1,,

2 and 3 of the supporting member A are connected at their upper ends by a cap plate. 4 The members-1, 2 and 3 of the supporting member B likewise are connected at their upper ends b a cap plate .5. i The cap plate 4 isprovi ed with a bearing 6 upstanding therefrom and the cap plate 5 is providedwith a pair of spaced bearings 7 and 8 respectively upstanding therefrom and in alignment with each other and with the bearing 6. l l

Thedevice also includes a rotary carrying frame comprising a horizontalshaftvQ j which is journaled adjacent to one. of its ends in the bearing 6 and. has the other" end portionthereof journaled in and extending beyond the bearings 7 and 8. The carrying frame also includes oppositely extending pairs of spaced apart parallel arms 10 equal in length which extend radially from the shaft 9. As shown, these arms 10are end portions of elongated members which may be channel irons and which have trans verse openings intermediate their ends through which the shaft 9 extends, said elongated members being secured to the shaft to rotate therewith in any suitable known manner, as by means of the fastening devices indicated at 11.

The outer end portions of the arms 10 of each pair are provided with aligned bearings .12 in which the outturned portions of arms 13 of a substantially U-shaped hanger member are journaled. The -web portion of each hangermember, indicated at 1 1, is horizontal and is of relatively great length. This. web portion of the hanger member extends longitudinally of a seat board 15 underneath the latter and along the longitudinal median line thereof. The seat board 15 is firmly secured to the hanger member on which it is supported by suitable fastening means indicated at 16. An endless guard rail 17 of substantially elliptical shape is supported above the seat board 15 and is secured at its ends to the upper end portions of the hanger arms 13 by fastening devices 18. Connecting bars 19 connect the guard rail 17 to the marginal edge portion of the seat board at spaced intervals along the guardrail and stay the guard rail and the seat board to each other.

The. cap plate 5isprovided at its outer end with a depending integral extension 20 which depends alongside the member 1 of the support B. A gear housing 21 is rigidly secured. to the depending extension 20 by fastening devices such as that indicated. at'

22 so that a central opening in the body of the gear housing is in line with the bearing 8. The adjacent end portion of the shaft 9 extends from the bearing 8 through the opening 23 into the gear housing. A gear wheel 24: is secured on this end portion of the shaft 9 within'the gear housing, as at a 25, to rotate with the shaft 9.

The depending extension 20 has a laterally extendingtubular boss 26 at its lower end which extends against the member 1 of, the support B, the bore of the tubular boss 26 being in alignment with a transverse opening 27 through the member 1 ofthe support B. A short shaft 28 is partially received in the bore of the tubular boss 26 and the opening 27 and extends from the outer end of the tubular boss through a lateral opening 29 in a dependingenlargement 30 at the lower end of the gear housing 21 laterally of the plane of the outer end of the gear housing. It may be said at this time that the gear housing is open at its outer end. A fly Wheel3l has a hubmember extending from an axial opening in the fly wheel laterally of one face of the fly Wheel. T his hub member 32 may be a tubular member having: a flange 33 at one end secured by fastening devices 34 to the fly WllQGl. The hub member 32 is adapted to be slipped: over the outer end of the shaft 28 until the outer extremity of the shaft 28 protrudes through the axial opening beyond the outer face of the latter, and a gear 35 which is integral with the hub'member .at the free end of the latter is in mesh with the gear Wheel The hub member 32 preferably is supported anti-frictionally on the shaft- 2S asby means of roller bearings and? is prevented from moving outward from the position-illustrated inFigure 3 on the stub shaftQS in any suitable known manner-,-as by means of a eotterpin 39 arried by the extreme outer end portion of the shaft 28.

From the foregoing description'of the various partsof the device, the operation'thereof maybe readily understood. The fly Wheel 31 is suiliciently: heavy to equalize the movements of" the rotary carrying frame and to prevent any appreciable acceleration in the rate of movement of" the rotary framewhenthe weights carried by the respective seats which are supportedby thecarr'ying: frame are unequal or only one of the seats-is-occupiedr The ratio of the gear 24 to the gear 35 preferably is approximately 10 to 1 so that the rate of rotary movement of the carying frame when-the latter is actuated as aresult of the turning of the Wheel 31 by handavill be sufficiently slow to positively prevent accidents andat the same time Will be suiii'eiently rapid to'ail'ord entertainment and amusement. As stated, a torque can be in'iparted: to the shaft 9 by turning the fly \vheel 3l but this'needbe done only to cause the positioning. of one of the seats at the lowermost part of the frame so that the same can be tilledwith passengers from the ground.= Rotary movement then can be imparted to the frame by the passengers Who snove' against the ground With their feet, the passengers of each seat contributing to the movement of the rotary carrying frame by kicking against the ground as that particular seat passes close to the ground and the fly Wheel actingto stabilize and equalize Web portions of substantially U-shaped hangers having the outer end portions of" the arms thereof outturned and ]ournalled inbearing's in the arms of the rotaryframe, it Will be manifest that the seat boards will remain continuously below the axes of the ,outturned end portions of the arms- 0f the supporting l'iangersduring'the rotary movement of the carrying frame.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other thanthat illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and I thereforeconsider as my'own all suchmodilications'and adaptations of the form'of the device as herein described as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims;-

I claim 1'. An amusement device of the character described comprising a frame'supported for rotation about a horizontalax-is, a pluralityof regularly spaced seats swingingly supported-011 the frame, a drive shaft supported to rotate about" an axisparalle'l to-the axis of rotation of said frame,speed reduction motion transmitting meansconneoting said drive shaft and said frame, and aheavy Wheel secured to said drive shaft and'constituting both a'fly Wheel and a handle operable to turn said drive shaft.

2. An amusement deviceof the character described comprising a frame supported for rotation about a horizontala xis, a plurality of regularlyspace'd seats swingingl'y sup ported on the frame, a-drive shaft supported to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said frame, motion transmitting means connecting said drive'shaft and said frame, and a= heavy Wheel secured to'said drive shaft'and constituting both a fly Wheel and a handle operable'to'turn said drive shaft, said wheel having a central" openingfor the receptionof'the drive shaft and being otherwise imperforate,

3; A device of the character described comprising a carrying frameeonsisting of' a shaft having radial armsextending therefronr for rotation therewith", seatsswingingly support-ed at the outer ends of said arms, and means for rotatably' supporting said shaft in horizontal position, a r0 tatable fly Wheel, and motion= transmission means eonnecting'said shaft and said fly- Wh-eel and including a plurality of gears in mesh with one another, said fly Wheel having the peripheral edge portion thereof convexly curved in cross section and adapted to be grasped and manipulated to rotate said frame.

4. A device of the character described comprising a pair of spaced apart upstanding supports having horizontally alined bearings at their upper ends, a shaft journalled in said bearings, a plurality of pairs of spaced apart radial arms extending from said shaft and secured to the latter to rotate therewith, the arms of each pair being provided With alined bearings adjacent to their outer ends, a substantially U-shaped hanger having the outer end portions of the arms thereof 'outturned and journalled insaid last named bearings,-a seat board secured on the web portion of each hanger, a relatively large gear secured on an end portion of said shaft, a fixed shaft parallel to said end portion of the first shaft, a fly wheel rotatably supported on said fixed shaft, and

a relatively small gear rigid With said fly wheel and in mesh with said larger gear said fly Wheel having the peripheral edge portion thereof convexly curved in cross section and adapted to be grasped and manipulated to rotate said frame.

5. A device of the character described oomprisinga pair of spaced apart upstanding supports having horizontally alined bearings at their upper ends, a shaft journalled insaidbearings, a plurality of pairs of spaced apart radial arms extending from said shaft and secured to the latter to rotate therewith, the arms of each pair being provided with alined bearings adjacent to their outer ends, a substantially U-shaped hanger having the outer end portions of the arms thereof outturned and journall-ed in said last named bearings, a seat board secured on the web portion of each hanger, a rela tively large gear secured on an end portion of said shaft, a fixed shaft parallelto said end portion of the first shaft, a fly wheel rotatably supported on said fixed shaft, a relatively small gear rigid Withsaid fly wheel and in mesh with said larger gear, and a housing for said gear wheels, said fly wheel having an imperforate web portion and a transversely rounded rim portion.

OMER BENJAMIN HUNTER. 

